'China strategy cannot be countered by PR'

Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi's comments come in the wake of reports that China has set up a village in Bhutan.

New Delhi:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the Centre over the "renewed China threat in Doklam" report, claiming the Chinese authorities have set up a village inside Bhutanese territory.

In a tweet, Gandhi said: "China's geopolitical strategy cannot be countered by a PR (Public Relations) driven media strategy.

This simple fact seems to elude the minds of those running GOI (Government of India)."

Wayanad MP's response comes days after Bhutan rejected the report claiming the setting up of a Chinese village inside its territory. "There is no Chinese village inside Bhutan," Major General Vetsop Namgyel, Bhutanese Ambassador to India, had told media.

Earlier, Shen Shiwei, CGTN News producer, had tweeted, "Now, we have permanent residents living in the newly established Pangda village. It's along the valley where 35 km south to Yadong county."

Later the tweet was removed. The Pangda village lies 2 kilometres within Bhutanese territory. In 2017, India and China were engaged in a 73-day standoff in Doklam after Chinese troops were building a road from their territory to the Jhamphiri ridgeline.

Currently, the Chinese and Indian troops are engaged in a stand-off since early May along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The situation along the LAC deteriorated in June following the Galwan Valley clash in which both sides suffered casualties.

Twenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in the violent face-off on June 15-16. It happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.

ANI Report